Common Women

By Ruth Mazo Karras,

Book cover of Common Women: Prostitution and Sexuality in Medieval England

Book description

An account of the lives of prostitutes in Medieval England relations, which covers their treatment under the law, and concludes that prostitution was central to the medieval understanding of feminity.

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Why read it?

1 author picked Common Women as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Published by Oxford University Press, Common Women is an academic rather than a popular history of medieval English prostitution, and its author is an expert in medieval sexuality.

I adore the wealth of historical detail founded on original research that Karras presents. It’s a goldmine of inspiration for those of us who write fiction set in medieval England. Where else can you learn about the cross-dressing prostitute John Rykener, the Bishop of Winchester’s brothel empire in Southwark, or discover names like Clarice Clatterballock?

From Cara's list on medieval sexuality.

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Interested in prostitutes, prostitution, and the Middle Ages?

Prostitutes 26 books
Prostitution 80 books
The Middle Ages 432 books